Political Gabfest
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Political Gabfest
Voted “Favorite Political Podcast” by Apple Podcasts listeners. Stephen Colbert says "Everybody should listen to the Slate Political Gabfest." The Gabfest, featuring Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz, is the kind of informal and irreverent discussion Washington journalists have after ho...
Recent Episodes
1755 episodes
Gabfest Reads | When Marriage Goes Stale and Middle Age Hits Hard
Emily Bazelon talks with author Curtis Sittenfeld about her short story collection, “Show Don't Tell.” They discuss the recurring themes of the book f...
Can Trump Cow Powell?
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss why Trump is stepping up his attacks on Fed Chair Powell and how it could backfire,...
Seize and Sell
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss what the so-called “Donroe Doctrine” means for international order after the US mili...
Greatest Hits
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz revisit several favorite segments from Gabfests past to celebrate their 20th anniversary: th...
2025 Conundrums!
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, David Plotz, and special guest Stephen Colbert answer listeners’ conundrums of all kinds: the meaningful, th...
Gabfest Reads | The Seven Rules of Trust
David Plotz talks with Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales about his new book The Seven Rules of Trust: A Blueprint for Building Things That Last. They d...
Gabfest Reads | The Seven Rules of Trust
David Plotz talks with Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales about his new book The Seven Rules of Trust: A Blueprint for Building Things That Last. They d...
Susie Wiles is a Sane Enabler
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the vivid and impulsive portrait Susie Wiles paints of Trump’s White House in a reve...
Civilizational Erasure
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss what will happen as the Supreme Court considers whether a president can remove leade...
Kill Them All
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss why the killing of survivors in a US military strike on an alleged drug boat is so d...
Is This the End of the Trump Era?
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss what happens when the government is untrustworthy as a strong pattern of DOJ lying u...
DOJ is DOA
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss a new oral history of President Trump’s Department of Justice, the complex transacti...
Who Really Won the Shutdown?
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss why Democrats caved to end the government shutdown and what comes next, the affordab...
Spectacular Night for Democrats
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss how Tuesday’s decisive election results give a legitimate boost to Democrats’ prospe...
Live from Chicago!
This week, live from Chicago to celebrate 20 years of the Political Gabfest, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the Trump vs. Chic...
Trump Literally Knocks Down the White House
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss how President Trump reacted to the No Kings protests by embracing his own “cult of t...
Trump Ends the Gaza War
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the Gaza ceasefire and prospects for long-term peace with Rob Malley, Middle East po...
Portland is Not Actually Burning
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the extremely consequential new Supreme Court term beginning this week, the facts on...
Fat Generals
This week, John Dickerson, David Plotz, and guest host Juliette Kayyem discuss the disturbing spectacle of military fealty staged by Hegseth and Trump...
Tough It Out, Pregnant Ladies!
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss how Trump is using the powerful machine of government prosecution to reverse-enginee...
Gabfest Reads | The Recent Past of Prison Punishment
Emily Bazelon talks with author and Yale professor Judith Resnik about her new book, Impermissible Punishments: How Prison Became a Problem for Democr...
The Domestic Terrorist
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the government’s intimidation tactics aimed at chilling free speech after Charlie Ki...
Assassination of Charlie Kirk
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the assassination of Charlie Kirk amid an extremely troubling climate of political v...
CDC DOA
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss what the spate of legal defeats for the Trump administration portends as cases wind...
Dial M for Mortgage Fraud
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Trump’s brazen effort to smash Fed independence by wielding allegations of mortgage...
Is This Martial Law?
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Trump’s deepening takeover of Washington D.C. as National Guard troops from red stat...
Gabfest Reads | The Four Years That Changed New York City Forever
Political Gabfest host Emily Bazelon talks with Jonathan Mahler about his new book, The Gods of New York. They discuss the unraveling of Mayor Ed Koch...
Gabfest Reads | The Four Years That Changed New York City Forever
Political Gabfest host Emily Bazelon talks with Jonathan Mahler about his new book, The Gods of New York. They discuss the unraveling of Mayor Ed Koch...
Humvees on the National Mall
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and guest host Jamelle Bouie discuss the perils of this week’s Trump-plus-Putin (minus Zelensky) summit in A...
Putting the BS in BLS
This week, Emily Bazelon, David Plotz, and guest host Juliette Kayyem discuss the future integrity of US economic data after Trump fired the head of t...
Gaza is Starving
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson and David Plotz discuss the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the international condemnations of Isra...
Is John Roberts to Blame for Everything?
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the latest developments in the Epstein files saga, how Supreme Court decisions under...
MAGA’s Epstein Obsession
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the epic MAGA meltdown over the DOJ’s “there’s nothing to see here” Epstein files me...
Who Wants a Third Party, Anyway?
This week, David Plotz and guest hosts Mike Pesca and Susan Glasser discuss what to make of Elon Musk’s quixotic attempt to start a third political pa...
Is Trump’s Reckless Bill Unpopular?
This week, David Plotz and guest hosts Will Saletan and Catherine Rampell discuss what the Senate’s regressive budget bill will do to the health of Am...
Let’s Plunge, New York
This week, Emily Bazelon and guest hosts Ruth Marcus and James Forman discuss Trump’s bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities with guest Steven Cook from...
Massive Ordnance Penetrator
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss whether the US should join Israel’s war on Iran, the tragic Minnesota assassinations...
Very Heavy Force
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and guest host Juliette Kayyem discuss the ominous juxtaposition of Trump sending National Guard troops and...
Very Heavy Force
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and guest host Juliette Kayyem discuss the ominous juxtaposition of Trump sending National Guard troops and...
Republicans vs. the Big Beautiful Bill
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Elon Musk’s dramatic entrance into the fight between Republican factions over detail...